Jonny Gould's Jewish State

Our guest today is Professor Gerald Steinberg, founder and CEO of NGO Monitor.The values of Human Rights are part of modern-day international conflict. Modern warfare is also fought through social media, the United Nations and via NGOs or non-governmental organizations."Soft power can be very deadly, I've seen it with my own eyes", says today's guest Professor Gerald Steinberg, founder of NGO Monitor.And so often, the central battlefield of NGOs is between Israel and the Palestinians. Gerald set up NGO Monitor in 2001 because he saw the need to "vigorously challenge" and end the promotion of "politically and ideologically motivated anti-Israel agendas by NGOs”.In this fascinating episode, we discuss in detail the change in how Human Rights is conducted and where organizations such as BDS (Boycott, Divest, Sanction) started.If you appreciate Jonny's podcasts, kindly support him with a donation and see his other podcasts here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest today is Joseph Cohen, creator of the Israel Advocacy Movement and it's extraordinarily powerful viral videos.Joseph Cohen’s helping to change perceptions of Israel and Judaism. Amid rising antisemitism and antizionism, Joseph hopes his work will inspire others to follow his lead. His YouTube and Facebook videos have been viewed millions of times and been retweeted by President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu.Joseph's unusual background gives him a deep understanding of working class England and his study of the similarities between Islam and Judaism provides his outreach work with additional authenticity. I’m calling Joseph “Zionism’s Angel of the North”, a tribute to his background as the child of a hippy commune in a Durham pit village.The town in which he grew up was part of the “red wall”, which overwhelmingly voted Conservative at the 2019 General Election, as Boris Johnson inflicted the worst electoral defeat on Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour since 1935. And Joseph says the north has “zero appetite” to switch back to Labour “anytime soon”, because Labour seem concerned with issues like climate change which don’t resonate in a constituency where there’s mass unemployment, shops are closing and people need a car to get to work. Listen to this extraordinary episode with Joseph Cohen!Thank you for your continued support of my work. You can help me by giving at http://donorbox.org/jgpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"I can go freely to the Western Wall or the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, why can't our Jewish and other friends go to the Temple Mount?"Ed Husain is a vital voice from the British Muslim community with his many speeches and articles on tolerance and pluralism.He was a teenage Islamist who embraced Muslim nationalism but started life in his father's more peaceful, religious mosque. Now he’s a steadfast opponent of the creed of the extremist. He's the author of The Islamist, an account of his five years as an activist here in the UK - and The House of Islam: A Global History, which discusses the classical tenets of Islam and the ways in which they're being distorted by political Islam.Ed explains how the West's thirty million Muslims must acquaint themselves with life in a secular state where they're no longer the dominant population or conqueror. I released this podcast on Purim, which Ed mentions.It’s his wish that modern-day Persia, now Iran, should return to the days of Mordechai, who as Prime Minister heralded a period of growth and civilization in Shushan after the threat of mass-extermination by Haman.The story of the Megillah Esther is read day and night on Purim. If you’ve enjoyed Jonny’s episodes, help his work to continue at http://donorbox.org/jgpodcast or http://buymeacoffee.com/jonnygould Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode opens with a stark warning to Europe’s leaders: a second refugee influx looks increasingly likely. Yaakov Lappin is a military analyst and researcher whose book, “The Virtual Caliphate” predicted the emergence of ISIS as they then swept through Iraq and Syria. He was alarmed at how easily accessible IS was online and how it led readily to the radicalization of so many young western Muslims. And he says though ISIS have been defeated militarily, the threat of both extreme Sunni and Shia terrorism must be countered or Europe could face another mass influx of refugees. In this wideranging discussion, Yaakov also unpacks the opportunities which Donald Trump's Deal Of The Century offers plus a new IDF leadership system he's helping to develop. Jonny produces these podcasts for free. To make a donation to his efforts, buy him a coffee here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ambassador Mark Regev embodies the modern Israeli story. Leaving his native Australia at 22 without family or contacts waiting for him, he praises Israeli mobility which aided his rise to the top of diplomacy. Armed with mother-tongue English, his ability to communicate Israel to billions of people is both of great advantage personally and nationally. He pays tribute to the pioneer generation of Israeli orators, led by South African-born Abba Eban and his stirring command of language. Ambassador Regev hopes the Palestinians reject ‘rejectionism’ and recognise the opportunities provided by Donald Trump’s “Deal of the Century”. Three Arab governments were present in the White House as it was unveiled. He asks why the Palestinians aren’t also celebrating decades and decades of independence as the UN partition laid it out. We also discuss the Palestinian issue as a vehicle for antisemitism, statistically and substantively - and the roots of leftist Jew-hate in Voltaire, Dostoyevsky and Jewish-born Karl Marx. Ambassador Regev confirms that Israel is Brexit-ready for trade with the UK post-transition. Britain is Israel’s largest European trading partner. But this is just part of a burgeoning relationship as “robust” security collaboration “makes people safer in both democracies, as the bottom line”. Islamic terror, he insists, is a common enemy to Britain and Israel. He also talks excitedly about the new prosperity Israelis are enjoying as the “Startup Nation”. GDP per Capita is now on par with the UK.Ambassador Regev is leaving London after five years as the nation’s leading diplomat here, so I ask what’s next for him? With many thanks to Ambassador Regev for his generous time and reflections and to Israeli embassy spokesman, Ohad Zemet, who facilitated and arranged the interview. Pictures by Inc. Monocle, thank you very much, Stuart. Brilliant work. Jonny makes these podcasts for free. If you’ve listened to a couple or more of the series, you can support him at http://www.paypal.me/jonathanlgould Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is an excerpt from Ep 31, the full interview with Israel's Ambassador to the UK, Mark Regev. In this ‘preview clip’ Ambassador Regev tells Jonny Gould that growing trade is but part of a burgeoning relationship between Israel and the UK, which can only grow post-Brexit. Bilateral trade stands at $18bn both ways so Israel was quick off the mark to complete a deal to continue trade seamlessly after the 2020 transition. Security co-operation and collaboration between the two independent nations makes the citizens of both safer according to Ambassador Regev. IDF pilots and the RAF have been training together because Britain values Israel’s aircraft combat experience. Look out for the FULL interview, Episode 30, with Ambassador Mark Regev on Jonny Gould's Jewish State. Jonny makes these podcasts for free. If you’ve listened to a couple or more of the series, you can support him at https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_donations&business=BW4GZLQCCL29Y&item_name=Podcast+production+&currency_code=GBP&source=url Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can support Jonny in making these podcasts right here.The former White House Communications Director, Anthony Scaramucci is a political celebrity.He’s making a career out of his ten days in the Trump Administration.The Mooch was heading to Pennsylvania to campaign for Mike Bloomberg’s short-lived Democratic Party bid for the Presidency.And in advance of that, he was in London addressing an intimate invitation-only crowd at the Four Seasons, Ten Trinity Square Hotel.After a wide-ranging discussion about why he turned against Trump (he spoke out against the President's rebuke to "the squad", the four Democratic congresswomen who he said should "go back and help fix the totally broken crime-infested places they came from"), I caught up with him for a one-to-one chat about the Deal Of The Century, President Trump’s plan for a new settlement in the Middle East.You can help Jonny make these podcasts right here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is my second meeting with Richard and delighted to tell you it took place in Tel Aviv. He's a regular visitor to Israel and gives generously of his time to so many people and institutions helping to make the country stronger. Our trips to Israel coincided and he graciously made time to sit down with me amid his many engagements. There have been two significant, perhaps gamechanging events since we first met in September 2019; Donald Trump's much anticipated Deal Of The Century was launched and the US assassinated Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani. Can the Palestinians be persuaded to stop saying “a thousand times, no?” Could Iran’s proxies continue their retaliation against America and its allies - including Israel? We hear Richard’s take on both. Plus listen for his extraordinary meeting with two IDF soldiers, both Muslim Arabs. He unpacks the huge personal sacrifices they've made, why they enlisted in the first place and the impact it’s had on their lives in East Jerusalem. LISTEN HERE to the estimable Col. Richard Kemp.Jonny makes these podcasts to support Israel and the Jewish diaspora. You can support him by buying him a coffee here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Jerusalem is the laboratory for the regional solution”. Fleur Hassan-Nahoum has been Jerusalem's Deputy Mayor since November 2018. I met her in London as she prepared to join a cross-party delegation in the House of Lords urging Britain to cease funding UNRWA to which they’ve just pledged a further £65.5 million. It’s supposed to aid Palestinian refugees yet funds the “glorifying of martyrdom” to Palestinian schoolchildren. With age-old communities in Israel’s capital living side-by-side, Fleur wants to close the gap between equal opportunities and equal rights, particularly in East Jerusalem. Born and bred in Gibraltar, Fleur says it’s her “oracle” for harmony and believes her Anglo-Spanish Jewish background helps her fulfill her job. She's not been without controversy, lending Katie Hopkins a helping hand to promote her movie, “Homelands” and attending a far-left Emek Shaveh event but she can't stand political correctness and is happy to argue her point. So much so, she’s too tired to argue with her hubby when she gets home! It's a good chinwag with Fleur. We’ve known each other for 20 years and it was great to catch up. I produce these podcasts for free. You can help support the show at www.donorbox.org/jgpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Baroness Ruth Deech gave me more than I bargained for in this wide-ranging interview.I asked a question, she replied with 120% of an answer.Ruth discusses the rise of British antisemitism, the post-Holocaust record of Poland, campaigning to ease tough abortion laws, restoring university maintenance grants to aid social mobility and the role of the BBC.Baroness Deech tells me:• about her lack of surprise at Sir Richard Evans’ decision to vote for Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour before claiming to change his mind after an open letter in the New Statesman by Anthony Julius. Sir Richard, a world authority on the rise of Nazism, was an expert defence witness of Deborah Lipstadt when holocaust denier David Irving sued her and her publisher for libel.• she believes EU Council President Donald Tusk should “sort his own country out first before interfering in ours”.• leaving Europe will be “absolutely excellent because we will not be sucked into anti-Jewish sentiment sweeping Europe. Our democracy and tolerance of minorities will be refreshed and revived”.• she’s in favour of generous abortion laws and assisted suicide at the end of life for people in great distress.• Jewish students must choose their universities carefully as many make for hostile antisemitic environments.• she reencountered old antisemitic tropes only when she entered the House of Lords.LISTEN to the remarkable career and challenging views of Baroness Ruth Deech.And you can help support Jonny in the making of these podcasts and see the rest of the series here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices